


Camp Waverider

by Notabeautifullittlefool



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/F, Summer Camp AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-04-21 19:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14291814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notabeautifullittlefool/pseuds/Notabeautifullittlefool
Summary: The summer camp AU that I was literally the only one to ask for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is really helpful, but like- be gentle?

"You're sure you've got everything you need? Towels, sunscreen, an extra pair of sneakers…" Quentin Lance asked his daughter as they finished pulling Sara's duffle bags out of the trunk.

"Yes, Dad, we double checked before we left, remember? Besides, it's not like I've never spent the summer here before." Sara rolled her eyes at her dad's overprotectiveness.

Quentin leaned down and hugged her as he murmured, "Alright, well be careful, and I love you."

Sara smiled, "I love you too, Dad. See you in 6 weeks!" She stepped back and waved as her dad got into the car and started the drive home.   
Reaching for her duffle bags on the ground beside her, Sara looked at the form in her hand- she quickly scanned over the cabin assignment to find where she'd be staying for the next month and a half. She smiled at being placed in the same cabin as the last two years, picked up her bags, and made her way to Cabin 1, ready to start her third summer at Camp Waverider. 

Sara opened the door to Cabin 1, looking to see if any of her cabin mates had arrived yet. The two bottom bunks, which Amaya and Zari had claimed their first year together at camp, were empty, so Sara tossed her bags up to the top of the bunk of the left side of the room without paying much attention. She'd go find the guys and see who all was here-

"What the hell was that for?!" 

Sara spun around to find the source of the angry, if slightly muffled, voice, which she realized was coming from the same bunk she had just thrown her bags on. 

"Is this some kind of hazing thing because I'm new, or are you really just that much of a bitch?" The voice continued, shoving Sara's bags onto the ground. 

"Well, you didn't exactly make yourself known when I came in, so how was I supposed to know someone had already claimed my bunk?" Sara muttered, bending to collect her bags and toss them up onto the top bunk on the opposite wall. "But even though you stole my bunk and nearly gave me a heart attack, sorry for hitting you with my stuff. My bad." With that, Sara walked out of the cabin, slamming the screen door shut with more force than she really intended. 

 

"'My bad'? Is she serious?! And I stole her bunk?! God, who does she think she is, anyway," grumbled the new camper to herself, turning over to try and resume the nap she was taking before she was abruptly woken up. "Ava, you're in for a long month and a half."


	2. Chapter 2

Ava woke up to the sounds of people yelling and laughing. 

 

"CAP!" Two of the voices yelled.

 

"Hey guys! The Legends are finally back together!" a third, much more familiar, voice shouted in between laughs and screams.

 

"The Legends…? Cap..?" Ava wondered to herself as she rolled over and sat up, altering her new bunkmates to her presence.

 

"Oh hey, bunk thief," said the familiar voice, who Ava noticed was a small, smirking blonde girl standing in the middle of the room. "Glad you're finally with us. This is Zari Tomaz," she motioned to the girl on her left who looked at Ava curiously, "this is Amaya Jiwe," pointing at the girl on her right, who smiled at Ava not unkindly, "and I'm Sara Lance, but everyone calls me 'Captain.'"

 

"Nice to finally put a face to the girl who attacked me with her luggage," Ava muttered, hopping down from her bunk. "I'm Ava. Ava Sharpe," she replied matter-of-factly, sticking her hand out to Sara. Sara looked at Ava, down at her outstretched hand, and back up, momentarily stunned by the formality. 

 

"Nice to meet you too, Miss Manners," Sara responded, trying, and failing, not to laugh. "We were just about to try and track down some food- you can come if you want. Might as well start getting to know each other now since we're all together for the summer." Sara nodded toward Zari, who was practically bouncing at the mention of food, and Amaya, who just smiled and rolled her eyes at her friend's behavior. 

 

"No, thank you." Ava glared back at Sara, "I'm going to work on unpacking since, as you've so helpfully reminded me, I'm going to stuck here for the next 6 weeks." She turned her back and begin pull out perfectly folded clothes from the suitcase on the floor next to her bed. Ava heard the other girls walking toward the door and called out, "Oh, and call me bunk thief all you want, but I was here first, so you're not getting it back!"

 

Sara paused, halfway out the door and looked back at Ava, giving her an over-exaggerated once-over. "Nah, go ahead and keep it. It's not every summer that I have a pretty girl begging to sleep in my bed." She watched Ava just long enough to see the furious blush rise on her cheeks, and with a wink, or at least her best attempt at one, she was out the door to catch up with Zari and Amaya.

Ava stood jaw-dropped and glaring at the screen door where Sara had stood until the slam of the door hitting the frame brought her back to her senses. Furious, she returned to unpacking and scowled.  
"Alright Lance, it's on."


	3. Chapter 3

Ava took her time walking back from the camp-wide bonfire that night, purposely hanging back so she wouldn't be walking back with her new cabinmates. She'd finally gotten a good look at the other campers at the bonfire and met the Cabin 1 counselor, Gideon, who also played along with Sara and her band of followers, referring to them as "Cap" and "The Legends." 

When Ava had mentioned to her parents that she was interested in a summer camp, she had meant some sort of sports focused day camp so that she could get ahead on her required summer work for school. Not this 6 week nightmare straight out of a cheesy 80s movie. 

Needless to say, she wasn't exactly pleased when she found out. Her parents had insisted she'd have fun enjoying her summer with her peers and "being a normal teenager," and they seemed so excited for her that she finally agreed. But being here now, Ava wished she had stood her ground. She'd never gotten along well with other people her age; they called her "stiff," "overly formal," and of course "a bitch," and based on the day she'd had already, she didn't see this summer being any different. At least she could choose from plenty of sports she could pick from to fill up her "weekly activity slots." 

She just had to get through the next month and a half, and hopefully she'd have better luck convincing her parents next time. 

 

 

The next week and a half went by quickly. Sara was the happiest she had felt in months- she threw herself into every activity and spent every free moment with the Legends. 

The only thing that bothered her was the new girl in her cabin- Ava. The taller girl seemed to take personal offense to everything Sara did- from rolling her eyes and shaking her head whenever Sara was acting particularly goofy to her clipped refusals when she was invited to spend any free time with the other girls. Sara didn't know what Ava's problem with her was, but she was determined to figure her out before the end of camp. 

Ava was cute, and Sara would never admit it but lately she had taken to teasing and antagonizing Ava during their activities just to see her blush and at a loss for words. She knew that Ava was hiding a real personality behind all the snarky comments and eye rolls, and Sara had a feeling Ava might actually like her if she ever let herself go a little. Well, that or she'd try and strangle Sara in her sleep for all the teasing and flirting.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright girls, in 5 minutes we're headed to the lake, so make sure you all have your towels and sunscreen. Seriously though, being sunburnt for the rest of camp is not something you want to deal with, so if you don't have any sunscreen, borrow some," Gideon yelled.

Ava grabbed her stuff and threw her current book into her bag as well. If they were going to be spending the morning at the lake, she figured she might as well get in some reading in the sun after swimming for a while. She was about to jump off her bed when she noticed Sara, frozen with a bit of a panicked look on her face. Seeing the other girl look anything other than cocky and arrogant was a surprise to Ava. 

Before she realized what she was doing, she heard herself talking.  
"Hey, uh, if you don't have any sunscreen, I guess you can borrow mine. If you need it, I mean. You already have so many freckles, it's not like a little more time in the sun will make much of a difference," Ava offered. 

Hearing someone talking to her, Sara snapped out of her daze, quickly turning to face Ava, looking confused.  
"Oh, no I've got some of my own. But you've been checking out my freckles, huh? Well, I may have my own sunscreen, but I could always use some help getting my back," she replied, wiggling her eyebrows up and down exaggeratedly. 

"Forget it. You looked panicked, so I assumed you were trying to remember if you packed sunscreen or something. But I shouldn't have even bothered." Ava rolled her eyes and went to pick up her bag, annoyed with herself for saying anything. 

"No, it was sweet.  
I had just forgotten about going to the lake this morning. I thought we had soccer or free time or something, and I was looking forward to kicking your ass with my amazing skills."

"More like you don't know how to swim, Cap!" Zari yelled as she ran towards the door, eager for the time in the sun.

"Hey! I know how to swim, asshole- I just prefer not to. Besides, I'd rather run or play soccer. Swimming just isn't how I like to exercise."

With that, Sara hopped down from her bunk, whipping her towel at Zari as they laughed out the door.  
Ava rolled her eyes and sighed. Only four and a half weeks to go.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning at the lake passed quickly for everyone. Ava swam for a while before drying off and settling in with her book. She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't notice a volleyball headed for her head until it hit her, jerking her back to reality. She looked around to find where it came from only to see Sara doubled over in laughter on the sand volleyball court. 

 

"Sorry Ava! I'm still mastering this whole 'serving' thing. Won't happen again!" Ray Palmer, one of the boys from the other side of their cabin said as he quickly ran over to pick up the ball. "Sara tried giving you a heads up, but I guess you didn't hear?" 

 

"No, I guess I didn't."  
Ava marked her page and stood up, gathering her things together and shoving them into her bag. 

"Gideon, I'm headed back to the cabin until lunch."  
Gideon raised her hand in a half-wave, too interested in listening to Rip, the boys' counselor, to pay much attention to Ava. 

 

Ava rubbed the side of her head where the volleyball had hit. Ray may not have been able to aim where the volleyball goes, but he certainly wasn't struggling with the power behind the serve. She could already feel a headache coming on and wanted nothing more than to try and take a nap until lunch. She was already setting the alarm on her watch when she heard someone running up behind her.

 

"Hey Ava! Wait up!" 

Of all the people who could have been running after her, it had to be Sara Lance. Ava kept walking and pointedly didn't respond.

"Ava! Ava, I know you can hear me. We both know I'm going to catch up to you, so it would be way less annoying for you to actually wait than for me to follow you more." 

Ava stopped and turned to face Sara, hand going up to her head to soothe the headache that was in full force.  
"What do you want, Sara? My head hurts, and I just want to take a nap."

Sara had finally caught up to her, and if Ava didn't know better she'd say the look on her face looked suspiciously similar to concern, or at least it would on anyone else. 

"I was just checking to see if you were alright. That hit looked pretty rough, and then you left so fast, so I came after you. Ray is getting a lecture from Amaya on looking where he hits the ball- he looked pretty upset about nearly knocking you out. So we just wanted to make sure you hadn't like, passed out on the walk back." 

Ava sighed. "I'm fine, okay? Still conscious and everything.  
Besides, you didn't exactly seem too concerned back at the waterfront," Ava mumbled. She finished setting her watch's alarm and moved to finish the walk back to the cabin.

 

"Hey! I wasn't laughing at you- Ray's face when he realized how far off his serve was? It was too hilarious for me to handle it. He looked like someone told him he came in second place at the science far. 

Once everyone realized that it hit you and you might be hurt, you were practically running out of there. So I came to see for myself." 

Ava brought her hand back down from her head, suddenly self-conscious. Sara seemed genuinely concerned- maybe Ava had judged her too harshly? 

"Besides," Sara continued, "I'm planning on kicking your ass at soccer this afternoon, and I want to make sure it's fair win. Wouldn't be as much fun beating you if it wasn't.  
See you at lunch!" Sara turned around and hurried back to the waterfront, eager to finish their game.

 

No, Ava decided she had been exactly right about Sara Lance.


	6. Chapter 6

Ava groaned as the beeping from her watch woke her up, mashing any and every button in an attempt to make it stop. She squinted her eyes open to check the time, only to find she had slept through lunch. Shit. She must have set the alarm for the wrong time when Sara was distracting her. 

Ava sat up. Her head was still pounding, but at least she didn't feel hungry even having missed lunch. She'd grab something from the canteen later to hold her over until dinner. Pulling on her sneakers, Ava walked to the cabin door, grabbing the sticky note above the door handle.

"Ava- we're at the soccer field after lunch. Meet us there if you don't make it to the dining hall. I'll come check on you if we don't see you by 1:30. -Gideon"

Ava looked at her watch- 1:20. She had just enough time to make it to the soccer field before Gideon came to find her. 

 

She made it to the soccer field with 3 minutes to spare. She would have been faster, but if she was being honest she felt dizzy and a little nauseous. She chalked it up to hunger and probably some slight dehydration and promised herself she'd drink extra water for the rest of the day to make up for it. She went over to Gideon, assuring her that she felt better after her nap before grabbing a soccer ball and running out to the opposite side of the field. Ava intended to work on some shooting drills, getting into position in front of the goal when her vision started to blur. 

Leaving her ball on the ground, she turned to walk back over to the sidelines and get some water when suddenly her dizziness got too extreme for her to stand. As the world started to go dark, Ava felt herself falling, managing an "Ummm " before she lost consciousness. 

 

When Ava opened her eyes, she was immediately staring up at the concerned faces of Gideon and her cabin-mates. She tried to stand up and shrug off their concern, but she hadn't even gotten halfway up when the world started spinning again. 

"Ava, you need to go to the nurse. Someone needs to take you- I don't feel okay letting you go alone in case you fall or pass out again." Gideon looked at Sara, Amaya, and Zari, wondering if it   
would be better to leave them here so she could take Ava or ask one of them to go instead.

 

Before she had a chance to decide, Sara piped up, "I'll take her, Gideon."

 

Ava looked sharply at Sara, or tried, but her spinning head made sudden movements difficult. Sara helped her up, wrapping her arm around Ava's waist and putting Ava's across her shoulders to help support her. Ava just groaned as her vision swam again from the movement. 

Sara kept their pace slow as they made their way to the nurse's cabin. 

"You doing okay? Because we can stop for a minute if you need a quick rest," Sara offered.

Truthfully, Ava wanted to stop and sit down. She was just too stubborn to admit that to Sara so she told her no and kept walking.   
After walking a few minutes in comfortable silence, Ava suddenly heard herself talking.

"Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? It's weird."  
She winced at her current lack of a verbal filter. Even though she'd been wondering, she never intended to actually ask Sara that. 

"What do you mean 'suddenly'? I was never trying to be mean to you." Sara looked confused at Ava's sudden question, trying to think back over the last week and a half. 

"Yeah, right. With all the teasing, and the laughing at my expense, not to mention hitting me in the face with your suitcase on the first day. You definitely weren't going out of your way to be nice, that's for sure." 

 

Sara stopped walking. Ava groaned and put her hand to her head at the sudden wave of dizziness that resulted. 

"Wait. You thought that I was just being a bitch this whole time? Have you not seen how I am around Zari, and Amaya, and the rest of the Legends? I tease them constantly- it's how I act around my friends. And for the last time, I swear I didn't know you were there when I threw my suitcase onto the bed. It's where I've slept the last few years here, and I just assumed this year wouldn't be   
any different. I even told you that!" 

Ava started walking again, taking her time to process what Sara had just said. She wasn't singling her out or trying to make her miserable? So then why had she- 

"Wait. Are you saying we're friends? How did I miss that?" Ava wondered aloud, only somewhat aware she was actually talking. "We're friends…" 

As Ava continued to wonder about this new development, she didn't notice Sara look at her with understanding before shaking her head and smirking as they arrived at the door to the nurse's cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a seriously crazy amount of free time during my internship today. So, I figured I'd be productive, blow off all my school work, and write some more.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make this chapter longer, so hopefully it turned out okay.
> 
>  
> 
> Come yell with me about fictional characters on tumblr. Same username as here.

Ava's concussion left her in the nurse's cabin for another 3 days. 

Gideon, Zari, and Amaya stopped by to check on her three times a day, making sure she was doing alright and letting her know they were looking forward to her coming back. Ray showed up on her first full day there, apologizing as soon as he got in the room. Even after Ava reassured him that she didn't blame him or hold it against him, he still looked worried. She promised him it wasn't that serious- she was just here to fully heal up and rest, but as soon as she was free, she intended to play against him in volleyball to show him how you really serve. He seemed to relax at that, and Ava shooed him out the door, thanking him for coming to visit. 

 

Sara was with Ava almost constantly. She went and got them lunch and dinner from the dining hall and brought it back to eat in the nurse's cabin, hung out during free time, and even skipped a few activities to stay and talk with Ava. 

At the end of her first day in the nurse's cabin, Ava had tried to convince Sara she didn't need to spend all her time with her and that she could go enjoy herself with her friends instead of being stuck with Ava. 

Sara shut down that idea before Ava had even finished talking. "Aves, I'm exactly where I want to be right now, and I am spending time with my friend- you." 

 

Ava was grateful Sara wasn't facing her as a soft blush crept over her face at Sara's words. She fussed with the pages of her book to distract herself, hating that she wasn't allowed to read until the nurse released her. 

 

"I could read it to you, if you want. I know it's not the same but since you're not supposed to read, it seems like a good option." Sara noticed Ava looking longingly at the book as she played around with the pages. 

Ava looked up, surprised. "You read?"

After a moment of silence, Sara burst out laughing. "Wow, so that's what you think of me! Yes, Ava, I can read. And sometimes there aren't even pictures." 

"That's not- I didn't mean- You know I just-" Ava tripped over her words, flustered at what Sara had said. "What I meant was, you always seem more interested in doing things that aren't reading. I know you know how to read!  
Thanks, though. Could I take you up on that tomorrow? I could honestly fall asleep right here without even bothering to lie down." 

Sara nodded. "Of course you can. You're stuck with me until you're released, so you might as well take advantage of it." 

Ava had gotten comfortable in her bed as Sara finished talking, fading fast. Half asleep already, she mumbled "Don't wanna take advantage of you."

Sara laughed as she walked to the door. "Well that's great for my ego. And to think I just assumed you were oblivious to all my flirting." 

She turned around as she reached the door, expecting a frazzled Ava to make some sort of comment when she saw that Ava was already asleep. Sara smiled. "Good night, Aves," she whispered as she walked out the door, shutting it softly behind her. 

 

 

Ava was finally cleared to go back to activities and sleep in her regular cabin. She walked into the dining hall for breakfast to find herself suddenly surrounded by her cabin mates in a crushing hug. 

Gideon smiled warmly at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're all glad to see you back, Ava. Today's a free day, so everyone can choose what they'd like to do. Just make sure you stick with a buddy." 

At that, Sara nudged her. "I already called dibs on you being my buddy," she smirked, and walked back to the table. 

Ava stood frozen, processing what Sara had just said. "Wait what??" 

 

Sara wanted to go to the archery range after breakfast, while Ava had been really looking forward to time at the water front. 

After an entire breakfast of eye rolling, bargaining, and pleading with each other, the two finally came to a compromise about how they would spend their free day: they would do archery in the morning, and then after lunch head to the water front. 

Throughout their bickering, Zari and Amaya rolled their eyes and shared knowing glances at each other. As Sara and Ava left to go to the archery range, Zari rolled her eyes.

"How are those two so oblivious that they haven't realized they're crushing on each other?"

"I don't know, but they'd better figure it out soon. Otherwise, I vote we get them together ourselves," Amaya agreed and the two of them headed out for the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter! 
> 
> Also, i apologize because i know absolutely nothing about archery except what i saw in that one scene in Princess Diaries 2. Which i very obviously modeled this after. Because dang. That scene tho.
> 
> Minor edits because I realized I misspelled a few things

"Damnit!"

Ava swore under her breathe as she watched her arrow sail wide of the target. Again. She didn't understand why this was so difficult for her- she had done the math in her head and there was no explanation, in her mind, as to why the arrow kept missing the target.

Sara smirked at Ava's latest attempt at shooting her arrow. "Need some help over there?"

Ava sighed at the offer. "You know, normally I'd be offended and too proud for this, but honestly I really could just some pointers. Just until I get the hang of this." 

"Well, since you asked so nicely…" Sara set her bow down and walked over to Ava, standing behind her, and placed her hands on Ava's hips. 

"Whoaaa what are you doing?" Ava turned around, startled at the sudden contact. 

"I'm helping you- didn't we just go over this?" Sara laughed and motioned for Ava to turn back around. Stepping behind her, she placed her hands on Ava's hips again, adjusting her stance "Good, now make sure you're feet are in line with the target, and turn your head towards it." Sara moved toward Ava's side, placing one hand on Ava's right shoulder and using the other to lift her elbow.  
"Now make sure you drop the shoulder and raise your elbow a bit."

Ava's heart was racing at the sudden and prolonged contact. She hoped Sara hadn't noticed the blush that was rapid spreading across her face and chest. Get it together, Ava, she mentally berated herself, frustrated by her own reaction to Sara's proximity.

Sara didn't seem to notice, focused as she was on her own reactions. She pushed that to the back of her mind, telling herself now was not the time to be having feelings for her friend, especially when she had never said anything about being into girls, no matter how sure Sara was. 

"Good. Now you're going to place your first two fingers on the bowstring, one above and one below the arrow, and pull back as you inhale. Anchor it at the corner of your mouth and let go when you breathe out." Sara continued with her instructions, pretending nothing else was going on. 

Ava let out a shaky breath and watched as her arrow soared straight to the target. It wasn't a bullseye, but she had finally hit the target. 

"Oh my god! I did it! Thank you, Sara, I finally got the target!" Ava dropped her bow and pulled Sara into a crushing hug, which Sara immediately returned. Ava pulled back to look at Sara, beaming. "That was amazing. Thank you for helping me." 

Sara laughed nervously and smiled back at Ava. "What are friends for, Aves?"

"Aves?" Ava furrowed her brow in confusion. Sara had called her that before, but Ava had assumed she misspoke.

"Yes, Aves. It's a nickname, the kind of thing friends give to each other?" Sara teased, smirking. 

"Oh, right yeah no of course. I just didn't realize we were at nicknames yet," Ava said. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the ground, suddenly seeming very interested in her sneakers.

"Of course we are. Do you not like it? Because it just felt right but I can just call you Ava."

Ava continued to stare at the grass, rubbing the back of her neck, and answered softly, "I like it. It's just…new? I'm not really used to it I guess."

"What, none of your friends ever gave you a nickname?" Sara meant the question as a joke, but judging by Ava furious blush and refusal to meet her eyes, she knew she had been at least partially right. "Oh come on, no boyfriend ever called you 'babe' or something cheesy like that?"

Ava laughed despite her self-consciousness under Sara's questioning. "Yeah not really the boyfriend kind." She realized what she said with a start, looking back at Sara in a panic to see the other girl smirking. "Are you making fun of me?" Ava's voice was soft, but there was a hard edge to her question. She'd been through this before, and she was ready to protect herself from further hurt.

 

"What? No! I would never make fun of you for that. I was smiling because I thought I picked up a vibe from you, and I was right!" Sara hurried to reassure her.  
Ava laughed, still a little shaken from the confrontation she thought was coming. "Oh. Sorry for assuming you were. I just kind of assumed the worst. I've moved around my whole life because my dad is military, so getting made fun of for being the new kid is just something I'm used to. We never stayed long enough anywhere for me to really make good friends, so my cousin Gary is about  
the closest thing I've got."

Without thinking about it, Sara wrapped Ava in a hug. "Those kids should have been fighting over the chance to be friends with you, Aves. I mean once you get past the hostile exterior," Sara grinned at Ava and winked, "you're basically a teddy bear." 

"Sara Lance you take that back. I am absolutely not a teddy bear!" Ava pulled out of Sara's embrace, mock offended at Sara's comment.

Sara laughed and started back to the dining hall, "Sorry Aves, I just call them like I see them!" Sara continued back to the dining hall for lunch, leaving Ava to catch up to her, still laughing at her friend.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the delay- I was at a conference for most of last week, and didn't have any time to write. This one is extra long, so I hope it makes up for it!
> 
> Also- this chapter has a description of a panic attack, just as a heads up. 
> 
> Unbeta'd (sorry for any mistakes in advance lol)

Sara and Ava walked to the waterfront.

They had stopped by their cabin to change into their bathing suits and grab sunscreen and towels. As they left, Sara had jumped up on Ava's back, requesting a piggyback ride as her reward for helping Ava with archery. Ava rolled her eyes and sighed exaggeratedly, not really minding.

"Alright, fine. But I get to ask you a few questions in return." Ava responded.

Sara pretended to think over Ava's condition. "That's fair. What's your first question then?"

"Why does everyone call you Captain and the rest of our cabin The Legends??" Ava blurted out.

"Wow…been holding that one in for a while, huh?" Sara laughed and continued, "It's from our first year at camp- there was a camp-wide game of capture the flag, and we broke the old camp record. So, everyone called us The Legends, and it kinda stuck. And I was the captain of the team." Sara explained, smiling at the memory.

Ava stopped walking. "Wait. That's the reason?"

"Well, yeah. What were you expecting?"

Ava shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought it would be something more….dramatic? Or exciting, I guess? That just seems like such a… normal way to get a nickname."

"Ava Sharpe, are you calling me abnormal?" Sara asked with mock offense, nearly shaking with the effort of not laughing.

"No that's not- I mean I didn't- You're just-" Ava sputtered, trying to backtrack.

Sara burst out laughing, unable to contain it anymore. "Aves, relax! I was just teasing."

Ava grumbled and started walking again. "You know what, I take it back. You are definitely not normal." Sara continued to laugh and wrapped her arms a little tighter around Ava as they headed to the waterfront.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As they got to the waterfront, they saw - and heard - a huge flock of the oldest campers and some of the younger counselors playing in the water and at the volleyball net.

Sara hopped down from Ava's back and set their bags in the sand, immediately removing shirt and shorts over her bathing suit and getting to work with her sunscreen.

Ava blushed and turned around, focusing instead on laying her towel out in the sand. She applied her own sunscreen, and looked around, deciding what to do first. Further down the dock, the deeper part of the lake was nearly empty, and Ava decided a good swim was just what she needed after spending the last three days out of commission.

"I'm going to swim out there for a while," Ava told Sara as she started to walk toward the dock. "I have a couple books in my bag if you get bored and won't come swim." With that, Ava jogged down the dock and dove into the cold lake water.

Sara laughed when Ava surfaced, yelling "OH IT'S COLD!"

She grabbed the books from Ava's bag and walked down the dock to read and sit near her friend. When she sat down, she finally looked at the books Ava had brought.

"Seriously, Aves? You couldn't bring a fun, easy book? It's the summer- that means no boring school-y books!" Sara complained as she looked over the titles.

"They are fun books!" Ava defended her choices as she swam lazily in the water. "They're two of my favorites!"

Sara stuck her tongue out at Ava and weighed her choices: War of the Worlds could be interesting, but she was in the mood for something a little lighter. Pride and Prejudice it was, then.

 

 

 

 

 

Sara was a few chapters in when she realized she was actually enjoying it. Once she managed to get past the weird language, it was actually interesting.

"How's the water, Aves? Have you stopped shivering?" Sara teased as she stood up to stretch.

"It's great, actually. But you could always come see for yourself!" Ava called back as she floated along on her back.

"Now why would I do that when the view is so much better from here?" Sara winked at Ava, smirking when her face turned bright red.

Sara was so distracted that she didn't hear the footsteps on the dock behind her. She was suddenly hoisted into the air by two of the older campers.

 

"I think she suggested you come check it out, right Damien?"

"You're right. And it'd be a shame to leave your  _girlfriend_ waiting, Lance."

Through the quickly rising panic, Sara recognized the voices- Mal and Damien Darhk, two of the older campers who never got over Sara beating them her first summer.

"Please- don't- I don't want-" Sara couldn't think clearly enough to form a coherent sentence through her panicked haze.

Before she could process it, she hit the water, and her panic took over.

 

 

 

 

Ava looked up at the loud splash, startled. She saw two older boys laughing and high fiving as they quickly caught up with most of the others Ava had seen earlier.

As she swam toward the dock to check out the source of the splash, she saw Sara's head quickly pop out of the water before going back under.

 

Sara.

The splash was Sara.

 

Ava swam even faster as Sara's head continued to bob up out of the water and go back under.

She finally got to Sara after what felt like far too long and saw that Sara's eyes were wide with panic and she was struggling to get enough air. She turned around and pulled Sara's arms around her neck and her legs around her waist, like the piggy back ride from earlier.

"Okay, Sara, I don't know if you can hear me right now, but I need you to hold on, okay? I'm getting us out of the water, but I can't climb the ladder if you don't hold on."

Sara said nothing, but tightened her hold on Ava in response.

Ava climbed the ladder and tried to set Sara down on the deck, but Sara just held on tighter.

"Sara, I'm coming back, I promise. I'm just going to grab the towels." Ava struggled to keep her voice calm with the fear and panic running through her head.

Sara still wouldn't loosen her grip on Ava- the thought of being left alone surrounded by water was more than she could bear.

Ava nodded her head in understanding and walked the two of them to their towels on the sand.

 

Ava wrapped Sara up in a towel and then wrapped her own towel around both of them.

She looked at Sara who had tears streaming down her face as she fought to take in as much air at a time as possible.

In the few weeks they had known each other, Ava had never seen this side of Sara before.

She understood clearly that the panic on Sara's face when Gideon mentioned the waterfront last week was related to what she was dealing with now.

If it was enough to bring down Sara Lance, Captain of The Legends, Ava knew it had to be something awful.

So the two of them sat in silence, wrapped together in Ava's towel until Sara could finally breathe and speak again.

 

 

Ava was absentmindedly rubbing Sara's arm through her towel when Sara whispered, "There was an accident in a boat I was on…"

Ava turned to look at Sara, the tears drying on her cheeks and finally breathing mostly normally. "Oh, hey you don't have to. It's fine-"

"I want to tell you." Sara cut off Ava, her voice still barely there.

"It was right after camp my first summer. My sister and her boyfriend were going out on his sailboat, and I begged them to let me go along. I was trying to tan, so I wasn't wearing my lifejacket. Weird tan lines, you know?" Sara leaned closer to Ava with a ghost of a laugh.

"Anyway, the water was getting choppy and I had my headphones in, listening to some playlist. And I got up right as Ollie swung the sail around. It hit my head and I fell overboard. I had a concussion, they think, and the water was too strong for me to stay afloat. Laurel, my sister, and Ollie dove in after me, but I had passed out. I woke up in the hospital two days later. Until today, I hadn't been back in the water since."

Ava pulled Sara closer. "I… I don't know what to say, Sara. 'I'm sorry' doesn't even begin to cover it."

"You're the only one who knows about it, outside of my family and Ollie. I know you won't, but please don't tell the others." Sara's voice was a little stronger, but she stayed in Ava's arms with her head against her chest, listening to the steady thump-thump of Ava's heart, reminding her she was alive and safe.

"I promise, Sara." Ava spoke quietly, afraid of startling Sara by speaking too loud.

They sat there, huddled under the towels for some time. Ava looked at Sara to see how she was doing.

Sara met her eyes. "I think I'm ready to head back now, Aves."

Ava nodded and stood up, helping Sara as soon as she was standing.

"Okay. I think you should go to the nurse's cabin first though, just to get checked out. Just so that I know you're okay."

Sara thought about responding with a snarky comment, but as she looked at the fear still written on Ava's face, she just sighed and agreed.

 

 

They got to the nurse's cabin not long after leaving the waterfront, and Ava explained what had happened.

The nurse checked Sara over, pronouncing her physically fine but in need of water and a long nap. She nodded at Ava, and explained she had to go patch up the younger kids playing kickball.

Ava turned to leave as Sara settled into the bunk when Sara reached out and grabbed her wrist.

" I know I've asked too much already, but… would you stay, Aves? Please?" She whispered the request. She looked small curled up in the bed, and her eyes were wide with the fear she would be left alone.

"It's not too much, Sara. Of course I'll stay." Ava slid off her sandals and climbed in next to Sara, who immediately curled up into Ava's side. She heard Sara's breathing slowly even out as she felt herself drifting as well. "What're best friends for?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long-ish wait- school has been super rough lately and I haven't had as much time to write as I would have liked. 
> 
> I think there's going to be two more chapters of this.
> 
> Also always, unbeta'd and I apologize for any mistakes.

After the incident at the waterfront, Sara and Ava were nearly inseparable.

It had been a week since then, a month at camp total, and Zari and Amaya were through letting Ava and Sara stay oblivious to their feelings any longer. They had to take matters into their own hands, but they just needed the perfect opportunity to put their plan into action.

 

 

 

 

Every Friday night, the camp put on a bonfire for everyone. There were hotdogs to roast (and veggie dogs for those so inclined), chips, and marshmallows for s'mores.

Ava watched the rest of her cabin- her friends, she corrected herself- laughing and enjoying the bonfire, letting her mind wander as she thought how she got to the point where she had this many friends in one place when she was startled out of her reverie.

"Ava! Come on, you're missing out on the s'mores!" Sara was waving her still-on-fire marshmallow in front of Ava to indicate her point. A

va yelped as she was brought back to the present with a flaming stick in front of her face. "Oh my god, Sara! Watch where you wave tha- Is that your marshmallow?!"

"Obviously. You can't put a cold marshmallow in a s'more, Aves. The chocolate doesn't get melted, and it's just plain wrong."

Ava gave Sara an incredulous look. "Well yeah, but that's not even a marshmallow anymore. That's just charcoal at this point. You need to get it golden and melty, not charred beyond recognition."

Sara puffed out the still burning marshmallow and made her s'more. She looked up while she ate it, pretending to think deeply. "Mmm nope, still tastes like a proper s'more to me!"

 

Ava rolled her eyes. "Watch and learn, Lance."

She grabbed a marshmallow and quickly stuck it on her stick. Instead of jamming the marshmallow directly into the fire like Sara, Ava held it right on the tops of the flames, carefully turning it to get it the perfect golden brown she wanted. She showed it off to Sara, raising her eyebrows, who pretended to be deeply unimpressed.

"Now that's a perfect s'mores marshmallow." Ava assembled her s'more, waving it in Sara's face.

Before she realized it was happening, Sara leaned forward and took a bite. "Eh, it's just okay," Sara said through the mouthful, winking at Ava, who was clearly struggling to not laugh.

"Asshole." Ava rolled her eyes and smiled fondly at Sara, settling back down on the bench next to her a little closer than she had been before. Sara just laughed and leaned her head on Ava's shoulder, halfheartedly trying to steal Ava's s'more.

 

Zari and Amaya looked at each other in disbelief. "That's it. I can't watch this for two more weeks. I'm going insane already!" Zari whispered.

"I can't decide if it's ridiculous or just sad at this point," Amaya replied.

"Right, well they have until tomorrow to realize they're basically dating, or we're stepping in. It's been long enough."

Amaya smiled back at Zari. "I mean, it is for their own good…"

 

 

 

 

 

 

They decided that the next morning would be the perfect time to try and force Ava and Sara to see sense. Zari had unhelpfully suggested locking them in the equipment shed by the soccer field until they admitted their feelings, but Amaya quickly shut that down, suggesting they simply split up and each talk to one of them on the hike the next day.

Zari finally agreed to Amaya's plan, but not before mentioning she wouldn't be above locking them in a closet if this didn't work.

Amaya just rolled her eyes, mentally admitting to herself that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea.

 

As the girls from Cabin 1 waited on the boys to finally make it outside, Gideon reminded them they had to have partners on the hike and that they weren't to leave the trail.

Zari and Amaya had already filled the boys in on the overall plan, and immediately spoke over each other to claim their partners.

"I'VE GOT SARA!" Zari shouted as Amaya yelled at the same time, "I call Ava!"

Sara and Ava looked at each other, a little surprised by their new partners, and shrugged.

"Fine by me." Ava said, laughing as Amaya linked their arms together and started them toward the trail.

"Me too. Gives you a chance to miss me!" Sara winked at Ava as she and Zari ran ahead, missing the blush that spread across Ava's face.

 

 

Amaya bumped Ava's shoulder. "Ohh you've got it bad, huh?"

Ava looked at Amaya, startled at the comment. "What no I don't! I mean, me- like Sara?? That's absurd. You're being ridiculous. Maybe _you_ have it bad!" Ava's voice got higher as she tried to convince Amaya, and herself, that she was wrong.

"Relax, Ava. I won't tell Sara, if that's what you're worried about. But just for the record, I can tell she likes you too." Amaya smiled at her flustered friend. "Would it really be the worst thing in the world to tell her you have feelings for her?"

 

"Yeah. It would." Ava spoke quietly, pulling her arm free from Amaya and rubbing the back of her neck. "She would treat me differently, or stop being friends altogether. And I just can't lose her friendship, not over something like this.

Besides, it's just two weeks until we all leave. Why mess things up when they're fine the way they are?"

Amaya sighed and put her hand on Ava's shoulder. "You know that you would never lose any of us as friends, right? Even if Sara didn't feel the same way, which she does just so you know, she would never give up being friends with you. You mean too much to all of us to ever let that happen."

"Thanks, Amaya. I just can't take that chance, especially since when camp is over, I'm going to a new city and starting over at a new school. It's supposed to be my dad's last posting, so at least it's the last time." Ava took a deep breath, trying to shake off the emotions the talk had brought up in her and more than ready for a change in subject.

"But enough of that. So. How long do you think Rip and Gideon have been dating?" Ava asked, raising her eyebrows and looking at Amaya conspiratorially.

Amaya laughed at Ava's faux seriousness and just hoped Zari was having better luck with Sara.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zari and Sara had slowed down to a walk after outpacing the rest of their cabin.

Zari raised her eyebrow at Sara and decided the direct approach was better than beating around the bush. "So. Cap."

"So. Zari." Sara mimicked her friend's expression and tone, then taking a long drink from her water bottle.

"So when were you planning on finally asking Ava out? 'Cause you're kinda running out of time here."

Sara choked on her water and coughed at the unexpected question.

"When _what?!_ " She managed to wheeze out between her attempts at breathing.

Zari patted her on the back to help her stop coughing. "When are you going to finally admit to Ava that you like her? Because it's pretty obvious you're crazy for her. Not like she's all that subtle about it either."

 

"No I'm not! It's completely- wait. She's not subtle about what?"

"About having a huge crush on you, dumbass. She would never admit it though- you remember how she was at the beginning of camp. So if you want anything to happen between you two, you're gonna have to be the one to woman up and make it happen."

 

Sara stopped to think over what Zari had said. She knew, deep down, that Ava wouldn't be the one to make the first move.

But that didn't mean that Ava even felt that way about her. If she did, wouldn't she have been more responsive to her flirting over the past month?

But what if she did feel that way?

 

Zari could practically hear Sara thinking.

She put her hands on Sara's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Sara, I could only manage two s'mores the other night because you two were being so nauseatingly couple-y over each other. Two s'mores, Sara. That's my worst record since I was like 10!"

Sara tried but she couldn't keep herself from laughing at Zari's confession.

"Sorry, Z. I know it must have been bad to come between you and food."

 

Rolling her eyes, Zari shook her head at Sara. "So I'm personally gonna need you to step up to the plate on this. Because if I don't get a chance to eat at least a dozen s'mores at the next bonfire, I'm blaming you."

 

Sara smiled and nodded as she starting thinking over everything Zari had said. There were only 2 weeks left at camp, and her time with Ava was getting shorter and shorter.

Well, she thought to herself, time to woman up and ask her out. Or at least try and find out from Ava if her feelings were returned.


	11. Chapter 11

Sara jerked awake, struggling to catch her breath. It was still dark outside, but the moonlight shining in through the window screens illuminated the cabin enough for her to place where she was. Still at camp. Safe.

She had dreamt of being back in the water, drowning under the waves, but this time Laurel didn’t get to her in time. Sara glanced around the cabin as she took a few deep breaths, shaking off the last hold of the nightmare, and noticed Ava’s bed was empty.

Puzzled, she looked around the cabin again, noticing the bathroom light was still off until she noticed a silhouette sitting on the cabin steps through the screen door. Sara hopped down from her bed as quietly as she could so as not to wake Zari and Amaya, and made her way outside.

 

 

 

“Couldn’t sleep either?”

Ava jumped a bit at the question. She had been so absorbed in her book she didn’t hear Sara walking up behind her. Smiling up at Sara, she closed her book and patted the ground next to her.

Sara smiled back and sat down as close to Ava as she could manage, laying her head on her shoulder.

“No. So rather than just stare at the ceiling and let my mind keep running wild, I figured I’d read a little, maybe stare at the stars for a bit.

What about you?” Ava laid her head against the top of Sara’s. She was glad for the company, even though she hated that it meant Sara wasn’t sleeping.

Sara sighed. “Nightmare. I can never go back to sleep after having one, and I noticed you were sitting out here so I decided to join you.”

Ava took Sara’s hand in her own, running her thumb over the palm and playing with Sara’s fingers. “I’m glad you did. Sorry about your nightmare. Was it about-“

“Nearly drowning? Yeah, it always is.” Sara interlocked their fingers and held tight to Ava’s hand. “But Laurel never gets to me in time, and I drown.

They don’t happen too often anymore, just a couple times a month.”

Ava squeezed Sara’s hand in reply as they sat in comfortable silence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a few minutes, Sara broke the silence. “So what were you thinking about so hard that you couldn’t sleep? You never did say.”

Ava lifted her head and untangled her fingers from Sara’s as she stood up.

“It’s nothing, really. Just nervous about moving to a new city and starting a new school as a junior. I’m just overthinking it- it’s always been at least tolerable every other time I’ve done it.” Ava paced back and forth in front of the steps, rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly. “I mean, as long as I don’t think about it, it’s fine.”

Sara quickly hopped up and stopped Ava’s nervous pacing, grabbing her upper arms to keep her in place.

“Aves, hey, it’s okay to be nervous about that. Just because it hasn’t been a problem in the past doesn’t mean you can’t be worried about it this time. High school’s rough, and starting at a new school halfway through is scary.

You’re going to be great though. You’re wonderful, and as soon as you let those kids see the real you, they’ll realize it too.”

 

Ava blushed, thankful for the darkness so it wouldn’t be as noticeable. She didn’t know what to say after Sara’s speech, so she just shyly smiled back.

With one last squeeze of Ava’s arms, Sara let her go and, grabbing Ava’s abandoned book, started making her way to the hammock nearby. She turned to make sure Ava was following her and raised her eyebrows and nodded her head in the hammock’s direction.

Ava rolled her eyes and sighed her not at all reluctant acceptance of Sara’s proposal, unable to keep the grin from her face as she followed Sara.

 

 

 

They climbed into the hammock and situated themselves comfortably with Ava wrapped around Sara, laying her head on Sara’s chest and settling her arm across Sara’s stomach.

“Are you sure this is comfortable for you? I know I’m taller than you, so we could always swap…” Ava offered as she snuggled into Sara.

“I’m fine right where I am. Now relax and turn off your brain- try to go back to sleep.”

Stroking Ava’s hair with one hand, she opened the book to the first page and started reading aloud. Before Ava could comment, Sara quickly beat her to it. “I know this isn’t where you left off, but I want to know what’s happening so I’m starting from the beginning.”

Ava just hummed her agreement, closing her eyes as Sara started to read again.

Sara heard her breathing slow and assuming she was already asleep, she kissed the top of Ava’s head softly, whispering “Goodnight, Aves” as she continued reading.

Ava smiled at the gesture and let herself fall back to sleep, comforted by Sara’s voice and the steady thump of her heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hey, Aves.”

Ava groaned and snuggled in further to her pillow, which…..laughed? She knew that wasn’t right, even though she was still mostly asleep.

“Aves, wake up.”

Ava fought the comfortable feeling of sleep threatening to pull her back under when she realized something was stroking her hair.

With a start, Ava jerked awake, remembering exactly where she had fallen asleep and who she was cuddled around. She tried to sit up and away from Sara, but instead she succeeded in flipping them both out of the hammock on top of each other on the hard ground.

Sara stared down at Ava below her, trying her hardest to ignore the way her heart clenched at the sight. Ava stared back, utterly lost in the bright blue of Sara’s eyes.

“Hi.” Ava whispered, her voice gravelly and deep from sleep.

Sara smiled. “Hi yourself. Sleep okay? You were pretty dead to the world just now.”

Ava blushed, trying not to think about how safe and comfortable she felt waking up in Sara’s arms. “Best in a while, actually. You make a pretty good pillow.” She laughed and felt a sense of pride at the light blush starting to spread across Sara’s cheeks.

 

 

 

Sara had fallen back asleep sometime during the night- something she never did after a nightmare. Something about having Ava curled around her made her feel safe, safe enough to stop fighting her exhaustion and drift off for a few hours. She tried not to dwell on it as she rolled off of Ava and stood up, offering Ava her hand to help her up as well. Neither noticed they hadn’t let go after Ava stood up.

 

 

“Look, Ava, we only have like two weeks left before we both leave, and I don’t want to mess anything up with you, but if I don’t say something soon, I’m going to be kicking myself for missing the chance once camp ends.” The words flew out of Sara’s mouth in a rush as she absentmindedly stroked Ava’s knuckles with her thumb. “But I like you, like so much, and I can’t not tell you any longer. I really like you, Aves.”

 

 

Ava stood frozen as she tried to process Sara’s sudden confession, unable to speak or even move as the words sank in. Sara searched Ava’s face for any sign that her feelings were returned and she felt her heart break as Ava’s face revealed nothing.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable or ruin our friendship. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry-“ Sara tried to let go of Ava’s hand as she felt her eyes fill with tears.

Hearing the heartbreak in Sara’s voice, Ava snapped out of her daze and held onto Sara’s hand even tighter. “You mean… you like me? Like, you have feelings for me? _Me?_ ” Ava stumbled over her words, desperate to keep Sara from leaving but still unable to fully process what Sara had said. “But how- _me?_ \- but you’re- and I’m-“ Ava looked at Sara’s face, hoping desperately to find answers to her questions but she couldn’t stop the smile tugging at her lips.

 

 

“And here I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.” Sara laughed at Ava’s disbelief as her tears spilled onto her cheeks, unaware she was even crying.

The sight of tears running down Sara’s face startled Ava out of her thoughts and she reached up her free hand to wipe the tears off her cheeks. “You’re the best friend I’ve had in a while, Sara, and I was terrified of losing you by admitting how much I like you. I never thought you’d ever feel the same way, and honestly it’s just so much to try and wrap my head around. It’s just a little hard for me to believe.”

Sara slowly let go of Ava’s hand to bring her own around the back of Ava’s neck. “Believe it, Aves.” Sara whispered as she rose up on her toes, bringing Ava’s head down to capture her lips in a tender kiss. “Believe it.”

Ava wrapped her arms around Sara’s waist and pulled her closer against her, kissing her back with as much feeling as she could.

 

 

The two stayed wrapped in each other’s’ arms kissing until Ava’s watch alarm went off.

Sara smiled and tucked Ava’s hair behind her ear. “Guess we’d better get back before Gideon notices we’re missing…”

“Yeah, I guess so. But…. Can we pick this up later?” Ava asked, suddenly feeling shy around Sara after their mutual admissions.

Sara beamed. “As soon as we possibly can.” With one final kiss, Sara interlocked their fingers and they walked back to the cabin, neither able to stop smiling.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! It's me again!
> 
> Sorry for the unexpected and super long hiatus. School and life got a little out of control, and I lost the feel for how I wanted to finish this story. So, I hope the ending/epilogue here makes up for it somewhat. Thanks for going on this journey with me, and I've officially finished the first fanfic I ever wrote. So, I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing it

Ava collapsed onto her bed. After 5 hours in the car to the new house, all she wanted to do was take a nap.

The last two weeks of camp had flown by. Ava still couldn’t believe it was over. If she closed her eyes, she was sure she would wake up back in Cabin 1 with her friends instead of her new house.

 

Fighting back the feeling of disappointment at realizing she would have to wait a whole year to see any of them again, Ava quickly unpacked her bags. She methodically sorted out her clothes and carried the first load to the washing machine. If she kept her mind busy, then hopefully she could ignore the ache in her chest that came with thinking of Sara.

 

Sara. The last two weeks with her had been the happiest she had ever felt. They barely left each other’s side, hardly even disentangling their hands unless it was absolutely necessary. When the finally announced they were dating they’d gotten a little teasing from Zari and Amaya– _“Finally! Do you know how exhausting it’s been watching you two dance around your feelings all summer?” “HA! I called it. Amaya, you owe me the rest of your candy stash.”_ \- and even Gideon a few times, but Ava knew it came from a place of friendship. And she was too wrapped up in Sara to really care if it hadn’t been.  

 

“Ava, dinner will be ready at 7. Why don’t you take a nap until then? You look like you’re about to drop,” Ava’s mom’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. She closed the door behind her as she left Ava’s room, and Ava sighed. She decided a nap probably be a better plan than just wallowing in how much she missed Sara, but she pulled out her phone and sent off a few messages before she laid down.

 

**4:37 pm** Here’s my house, my room,

and the view from my window

**4:38 pm** looks good aves!

 Ill have to talk my parents into letting me visit soon :)

**4:40 pm** Any chance that’ll be today? Lol

**4:41 pm** Oh! Before I forget. My new address.

It’s 4972 Belvidere Dr Star City, WA 93072

In case we decide to do the snail mail thing

(And also so you know where to go to visit)

**4:50 pm** thanks aves :)

             Miss u already

**4:52 pm** Miss you too.

What’s yours?

**5:04 pm** Sara?

**_Read 5:04 pm_ **

 

Ava set her phone down and tried to fall asleep. Sara would probably respond during her nap, so she’d see it when she got up.

 

Even though she expected to toss and turn until she could fall asleep, Ava was out as soon as she closed her eyes.

 

Ava vaguely recognized the doorbell ringing, but she was back asleep before she could think anything of it.

 At 6:40, her phone alarm went off. Ava reached around blindly for her phone to turn it off. Groaning, she rolled over in bed and sat up as she checked her phone. Still nothing from Sara. She’s probably spending time with her family, Ava thought and mentally scolded herself for feeling so clingy. They’d only been going out for 2 weeks! It would just take some time to adjust to life away from camp, that’s all.

 

Ava and her parents sat down to dinner, and Ava nearly inhaled her meal.

“Whoa, slow down or you’ll choke! Didn’t they feed you at that camp?” Her dad chuckled as Ava tried to slow down enough to fully chew each bite.

“Ha ha. Yes, of course they fed us, Dad. But as much as I loved camp, the food was… well, it was nothing compared to an actual home-cooked meal. Everything just tasted canned, no matter how much they cooked it. I didn’t know you could even miss fresh vegetables this much!” As soon as she finished talking, Ava immediately piled her fork with more broccoli. “Could I have some more?”

Her parents laughed and her mom scooped more broccoli onto Ava’s plate. “Maybe we should send you to camp more often, then,” her mom said as she watched her daughter devour the rest of her dinner.

Ava looked up, hopeful. “I know you’re joking, but can I go back next year? Please?”

“Well it’s a little advanced to be planning already, but as long as everything works out, I don’t see why you couldn’t,” her dad responded. “We’re glad you enjoyed yourself. We know it wasn’t your first choice for how to spend your summer, but it helped us out to get the move out of the way and unpack and decorate the new house without driving you back and forth to the day camp you originally wanted.”

Ava smiled. “Thanks for sending me. It turned out to be amazing, and I’m so glad I went.”

 

Having finished dinner, Ava helped her parents clear the table and started washing the dishes while her parents put everything away. Halfway through, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Ava quickly dried her hands and headed to the door. It was probably new neighbors introducing themselves and welcoming the Sharpes to the neighborhood. Her parents said it’d been happening off and on for the last week since they moved in.

 

Checking her phone, Ava opened the door. A flash of blonde came hurtling towards her, and Ava found herself on the floor, pinned beneath the mystery visitor.

 

“AVA! I thought it was too good to be true, but it wasn’t and you’re here and I’m here and I’m just so exci-“ The blonde continued to babble, seemingly unable to stop herself.

At the sound of the voice, Ava froze. It couldn’t be. She was still asleep, or she was daydreaming, or-

“Ava? Did I hurt you?

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” The blonde pulled her head back to check Ava’s face for signs of hurt or displeasure. Their eyes met, and Ava felt a jolt of understanding shoot through her.

Sara.

_Sara._

Sara was at her house. In her foyer. On top of her, in her foyer.

_It was Sara._

 

“I don’t- but how- _Sara-_ you’re- I- _how?_ ” Ava couldn’t string together a coherent sentence; her thoughts were too rapid fire for her to process, leaving her fumbling for words to express any of what she was feeling.

“Your house looked familiar when you sent me that picture, but I didn’t think anything of it. But then you sent your address. I live 5 houses down! I couldn’t believe it- this house was sold right before camp started, but I never thought. I mean, you never said where you were moving, so I didn’t even think- I mean, why would I?

“I wanted to surprise you, once I saw where you lived. So, are you? Surprised, I mean?” Sara beamed at Ava, suddenly realizing they were still on the floor. She quickly hopped up and held out her hand to help Ava up.

Ava took it and stood up. She dropped Sara’s hand as soon as she was upright, instead pulling her into the tightest hug she could manage.

“I couldn’t have been more surprised if it had been Publisher’s Clearing House at the door instead.” Ava laughed. Her laughs quickly turned into sobs, her tears leaving a wet spot on Sara’s shoulder.

Sara pulled back a little and softly wiped away the tears falling down Ava’s cheeks. “Aves? What’s wrong?” She raised up on her toes as high as she could and lightly kissed Ava’s forehead.

“Sorry, no, I’m fine. I promise.” Ava rubbed at her eyes and smiled at Sara. “I’m just a little overwhelmed – in a good way! Just saying goodbye this morning and thinking I’m not going to see you until a school break when I can convince my parents to lend me the car, and then suddenly you’re here, and you’re in my arms, and you live just down the street from me. I think I have, like, emotional whiplash or something.”

Sara chuckled along with Ava. They still hadn’t unwound their arms from around each other, and they were content to just stay like that for a while.

“You know what the best part is?” Sara whispered.

“This isn’t the best part?”

“No. The best part is that I get to go to school with and introduce everyone I know to my amazing girlfriend.” Sara peppered her comment with soft kisses to the underside of Ava’s jaw as she spoke. “Because it means you don’t have to completely start over this time. You’ve got me.” Ava tilted her head down and rested her forehead against Sara’s.

After a moment, Ava tilted her head and kissed Sara, trying to express everything she couldn’t find the words to say.

“I’m so glad you attacked me with your luggage on the first day.” She smiled against Sara’s lips. “I never would have guessed it would end up being the best thing to happen to me.”

 

“Oh for the last time, Ava, I didn’t know you were there!”

 

The two girls giggled as they held each other tightly, unable to let go for even a moment now that they were back together again, and each one marveled at how very lucky they ended up.


End file.
